Sam Kaplan

If there’s a secret to the polish and refinement that characterize Sam Kaplan‘s images, it may be that he shot a lot of pictures in the search for his distinctive voice. After graduating from college in 2007, he moved to New York City and assisted several photographers, which taught him the fundamentals of lighting and running a business. Then, he says, “I was fortunate to find a group of photographers who all shared studio space,” and were not only generous with advice, but also let him use their space and gear to shoot tests on weekends. Kaplan, who studied both sculpture and photography in college, says his preferred props were items he bought “at dollar stores and Home Depot.”